Canada Beats China in Men's Hockey, Advances to 2022 Winter Olympics Quarterfinals
Canada advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics with a 7-2 victory over China on Tuesday at Beijing National Indoor Stadium.
Jordan Weal and Adam Tambellini each scored twice to pace the Canadian attack, while Eric O'Dell, Eric Staal and Jack McBain also found the net in the team's second straight win over the Chinese squad after beating the host nation 5-0 to close out the group stage.
Canada moves on to face Sweden in the quarters.
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Weal lit the lamp twice in the opening 10 minutes to give the Canadians an early advantage, but the game wasn't without at least a hint of drama as China's An Jian scored late in the first period to keep the hosts within striking distance at the first intermission.
Canada scored the next three goals to pull away as expected, though it wasn't as dominant of a performance overall as the score may suggest. It held a modest 28-23 shot advantage after the second frame, but it did fully control the third.
Jian added a second goal for China, which finishes last in its first men's hockey appearance at the Winter Games. The lack of NHL players in the tournament did make the hosts more competitive than anticipated, though.
Staal added a tally for Canada in the third period, the first goal of the tournament for the longtime Carolina Hurricanes center who's currently a free agent. McBain capped the scoring inside the final two minutes.
The quarterfinal matchups are now set for Wednesday:
- (1) United States vs. (8) Slovakia
- (2) Finland vs. (10) Switzerland
- (3) Russian Olympic Committee vs. (6) Denmark
- (4) Sweden vs. (5) Canada
The bracket will be reseeded after the quarters, so the potential exists for a rematch between rivals Team USA and Canada in the semifinals. The Americans won the first meeting, 4-2, in Group A play.
Meanwhile, Wednesday's hockey schedule in Beijing also features the bronze-medal game in the women's tournament, with Finland taking on Switzerland.
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